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Neptune’s Door

The opalescent ocean’s curl
slides in to stroke the moonlit shore.
A plume sprays through the rocks to hurl
the wreckage far from Neptune’s door.

Beware the mermaid’s deadly goal
Her promise, formed from froth and foam,
which wraps around the sailor’s soul,
will drown him, far from hearth and home.

Such sweet seduction fills her call
that hunts the heart, designs its death,
sings through the mist, enchants, enthralls
until she steals your final breath.

Tonight a battered Cutter slips
beneath the waves, smashed on the reef.
The mermaid, queen of sunken ships
and sailors, feels no hint of grief.

She smiles and lets her flukes unfurl;
this scourge of ships from ancient lore
content now as the ocean’s curl
slides in to stroke the moonlit shore.

Wendy Blair is a former Southern California gal who moved to the other South thinking the mid-life change of career and scenery would give her more time to write – another entry on the long list titled, Wendy’s Misconceptions. . She brings six decades of life experience to her current role as the owner and innkeeper of Rose Hill Bed and Breakfast in Virginia. Having worn more hats than Bartholomew Cubbins, she has pursued paths as an actress, singer, director, carpenter, waitress, short-order cook, writer, landscape designer, event-planner, public speaker, development director, business executive, fundraiser, teacher, caterer, wedding coordinator, witness preparation specialist, community volunteer and soccer coach. Most of these career paths have helped prepare her for role as “Mistress of Rose Hill,” and provide a lot of grist for the writing mill. Poetry is her first love and she is a stodgy, unrepentant, true rhymer who is also a stickler about rhythm.